Tulsa Transfer OT Dillon Wade commits to Auburn!!

[AUGoo 2,659]

23 minutes ago, toddc said:

How did we go from a knocking, smoking engine

A knocking smoking engine, implies it somewhat started.  Potato Boy had us dead on the side of the road missing doors, on blocks, with the hood up and on fire.

[NWALA Tiger 3,535]

2 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

The momma won us Sylvester smith and keldric Faulk. But it def cost us Ben Scott.

I will take that trade off

[W.E.D 11,070]

1 hour ago, toddc said:

How did we go from a knocking, smoking engine to a well oiled machine overnight in recruiting? It makes me sick 🤢 that we have suffered through 3-5 years of mediocrity!

Rhetorical question by the way!

Recruiting isn't difficult when you're at a solid school like Auburn.  It doesn't take massive relationships over 18-36 months to get kids interested.  Sure they help, but it's not why we closed on a lot of the kids we closed on. (Yes I'm sure someone will point out the player's thread I'm posting this in as a one off)

It's selling, pure and simple.  We are a known national brand.  We have a coach that is known for offense & we're selling a vision.

[woodford 3,655]

This is massive. 

[NoALtiger 3,850]

6 hours ago, bigbird said:

Most likely our starting LT next year 

50/50. Most likely starting or not.  

[Sizzle 3,909]

 

[einatlanta 502]

3 hours ago, toddc said:

How did we go from a knocking, smoking engine to a well oiled machine overnight in recruiting? It makes me sick 🤢 that we have suffered through 3-5 years of mediocrity.

I am not sure people truly understand how divided behind the scenes we have been for the past 5 years. Factions were cancelling each other's efforts out resulting in little to token results. As scary as it sounds we should be glad to have had the Harsin era because that extreme horror resulted in everyone, and I mean everyone, uniting behind one idea. A smart and detailed president which resulted in a great AD hire. We initially thought LK was the real deal but luckily his ego got the better of him. HF is working double to prove he was the right choice. I will always believe Caddy was the beginning momentum for the great recruiting improvement which HF is going to ride to new heights. The one thing that just floors me is how useless the NCAA really is and how much bama blatantly gets away with and yes there are so many payoffs going on with literal bagmen. War Eagle and Merry Christmas all!!!

[tinman1 485]

2 hours ago, einatlanta said:

 The one thing that just floors me is how useless the NCAA really is and how much bama blatantly gets away with and yes there are so many payoffs going on with literal bagmen. War Eagle and Merry Christmas all!!!

Well, I've been floored for over 60 years because that's how long it has been going on since I've been alive and paying attention.  And it started LONG before that.  How do I know?  Because my wife's uncle played there in the 40's.  All his brothers and sisters (and there were 8 of them) said "Well, I don't know if he got paid but as soon as he went to bama we (the family) never did without."

[Zeek 16,649]

9 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

Love love looooove what our new OL coach Jake Thornton is doing so far. He hasn’t even been on the job a month. Montgomery got us in the door with Wade and Thornton closed it out! Lfg bay baaaay!! Haven’t been this excited about a OL coach since Jeff Grimes. I don’t think Thornton is even 30 years old yet.

 

Saw somewhere they mentioned Harsin’s staff only had three OL while they were here and they all went to Auburn HS

[bigbird 60,487]

27 minutes ago, Zeek said:

Saw somewhere they mentioned Harsin’s staff only had three OL while they were here and they all went to Auburn HS

You have to try and not be a good recruiter at AU.

[MCPeePants 227]

12 minutes ago, bigbird said:

You have to try and not be a good recruiter at AU.

Guess we found what Harsin was good at..

[AUwent 3,748]

Just realized this guy (as a transfer) is 4*. A 4* OT? To Auburn? Is that allowed?!

Edited December 25, 2022 by AUwent

[GwillMac6 20,666]

1 hour ago, AUwent said:

Just realized this guy (as a transfer) is 4*. A 4* OT? To Auburn? Is that allowed?!

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/tyler-johnson-286616?view=pv

[TeamZero77 1,784]

On 12/23/2022 at 7:40 PM, gr82b4au said:

…had just received offers from Missouri, Ohio State, Ole Miss, TCU and others before it came down to USC and Auburn. Big win. 
 

Add Oklahoma to that list as well. I read where he said his final 3 were Oklahoma, USC and us. 

USC because his O-Line coach from Tulsa is there now. He said Auburn was a place he always kept up with growing up. He visited here and said he knew he could help make an effect immediately. He said the main reason, of course, was that Coach Montgomery was his HC at Tulsa and was one of the only coaches that made him truly believe he belonged at the G5 level and would make an immediate impact so he signed with Tulsa back then. Fast forward to now and he said Coach Montgomery made him feel that he belonged at the SEC level now and would make an immediate impact here at Auburn so he signed here. 

Our OC, Coach Montgomery, has this kid believing in himself and that he could play at the G5 level and now the SEC level. That's a man that's not only coaching this kid but he is instilling confidence and a positive mindset in Dillon Wade to a point that he is like a father figure. That means the world to most of these kids and those 2 probably will have a strong relationship for many years to come. That's a coach that gets it. 

The more I read about this staff that Coach Freeze has assembled, the more I'm loving it and I can see why they were able to flip kids and do so much in a 3 week span. Add them to what we already knew we had in Caddy, Zac and Trovon Reed and this is a staff that truly gets it and makes these players feel like they have more than just a coaching staff. They have mentors that believe in them. Go read stories of why Bobby Bowden was so great at recruiting and how he always said "75% of the players I sign are depending on me not only as their coach but as their father figure because they haven't had that in their first 18 years and I take that very seriously." Its a relationship that will last a lifetime if its sincere. 

 

[TeamZero77 1,784]

13 hours ago, Zeek said:

Saw somewhere they mentioned Harsin’s staff only had three OL while they were here and they all went to Auburn HS

And Mike Bobo's son was 1 of those 3. He really doesn't count because he was just committed because of his Dad. He flipped as soon as his Dad was fired. And I've heard that Bobo's son was the one that got Bradyn Joiner to commit with us since they were teammates. Thank goodness Joiner stayed committed when Bobo was fired. 

So when you really look at it, Bobo's son was our recruiter for the O-Linemen that committed under Harsin, LOL. 

[PUB78 1,358]

22 hours ago, NWALA Tiger said:

I will take that trade off

In recruiting, 2 out of 3 is outstanding.

 

[TXaubie 566]

War Eagle, Mr. Wade!!  
 

What a great Christmas Present for the Auburn family!!  Merry Christmas, all!!

[AUFightingSoldiers 685]

So are we looking at 3 potential starting ol in this 1 class?! And the class isn't done yet

[TeamZero77 1,784]

1 hour ago, AUFightingSoldiers said:

So are we looking at 3 potential starting ol in this 1 class?! And the class isn't done yet

Yes

[AUFightingSoldiers 685]

21 minutes ago, TeamZero77 said:

Yes

Ain't she a beaut

[W.E.D 11,070]

2 hours ago, AUFightingSoldiers said:

So are we looking at 3 potential starting ol in this 1 class?! And the class isn't done yet

Ideally we have 3-4 transfer or JUCO starters. Don't trust juco tho

[LPTiger 5,153]

On 12/25/2022 at 5:39 AM, TeamZero77 said:

Add Oklahoma to that list as well. I read where he said his final 3 were Oklahoma, USC and us. 

USC because his O-Line coach from Tulsa is there now. He said Auburn was a place he always kept up with growing up. He visited here and said he knew he could help make an effect immediately. He said the main reason, of course, was that Coach Montgomery was his HC at Tulsa and was one of the only coaches that made him truly believe he belonged at the G5 level and would make an immediate impact so he signed with Tulsa back then. Fast forward to now and he said Coach Montgomery made him feel that he belonged at the SEC level now and would make an immediate impact here at Auburn so he signed here. 

Our OC, Coach Montgomery, has this kid believing in himself and that he could play at the G5 level and now the SEC level. That's a man that's not only coaching this kid but he is instilling confidence and a positive mindset in Dillon Wade to a point that he is like a father figure. That means the world to most of these kids and those 2 probably will have a strong relationship for many years to come. That's a coach that gets it. 

The more I read about this staff that Coach Freeze has assembled, the more I'm loving it and I can see why they were able to flip kids and do so much in a 3 week span. Add them to what we already knew we had in Caddy, Zac and Trovon Reed and this is a staff that truly gets it and makes these players feel like they have more than just a coaching staff. They have mentors that believe in them. Go read stories of why Bobby Bowden was so great at recruiting and how he always said "75% of the players I sign are depending on me not only as their coach but as their father figure because they haven't had that in their first 18 years and I take that very seriously." Its a relationship that will last a lifetime if its sincere. 

 

Great points Zero.  Coaches would do well to emulate Bobby Bowden.  He was a good coach and a better person.  I think these guys we have now are very much like him.   I saw the video of coach Freeze talking about his coordinators -- he said "I don't have an ego any more..."   So many men never get humbled, and it honestly is one of the best things that can happen to you.   

[alabastertiger 613]

I like it this much 

[gr82b4au 5,568]

It is pretty awesome that we beat USCW for this OT.